Photography News - issue 5

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Photography news

Issue 5

18 February – 17 March 2014

Your FREE newspaper packed with the latest news, views and stories from the world of photography BELOW Head to Birmingham for a photo-tastic day out next month.

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First looks at the X-T1 & D3300, plus launches from Sony, Canon & Olympus If it’s newsworthy, it’s inside this issue

It’s show time at the NEC

The UK’s biggest photo exhibition opens its doors on 1 March for four days at the Birmingham NEC. With all the latest kit on show, it’s the place to be The Photography Show’s exhibitor list reads like the Who’s Who of imaging and whether you want to get your hands on the Fujifilm X-T1, learn new techniques or just enjoy a great photography day out, get your ticket now. Book in advance and it’s £13 per adult, otherwise it’s £15 on the door – concessions are available. But book your ticket with PN’s special code PNWS142014 and the price is just £10.

There are so many show highlights that we don’t have space to mention them all so check out the website for an up-to-date exhibitor list. But for a taster, read on…

Nikon has announced it’ll be showcasing its new flagship, the D4s, for the first time in the UK, and the Nikon School will have a host of photographers providing exciting talks. Canon will also be displaying its entire product range, with a team of experts on hand

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to help you make the most of your kit. On the Panasonic stand, there’ll be live demonstrations of the Lumix cameras, plus it’ll be the first outing for the GH4, and each day different guest speakers will be visiting. The full product range will also be on show from Fujifilm, plus there’ll be the opportunity to speak to the team about the X-series cameras and lenses, and Samsung will showcase its flagship CSC, the NX30.

Among the many other brands that will be making the pilgrimage to the show with their products are Olympus, Ricoh, Tamron, Sigma, Velbon, Slik, Giotto’s, Manfrotto, Bowens, Metz, Kenko, Hoya and Cokin. π To find out more, go to www.thephotographyshow.com.

157 years old & still going strong – The RPS International Behind the scenes of the world’s oldest photo comp

Tried & tested: •7 full-frame DSLRs • Profoto B1 flash See pages 21 and 26 for the facts & figures

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Latest photography news

Fujifilm’s latest X

Retro styled it may be, but Fujifilm’s X-T1 is bursting with modern technology and super fast reactions Fujifilm’s X-series has a retro vibe anyway but the X-T1 takes that even further.

Taking a leaf out of the Df’s book, the X-T1 has actual dials to alter settings such as ISO, shutter speed and drive modes.

The camera may have retro pretensions, but under the surface it’s very much to the fore in what it offers. It features what is claimed to be the world’s fastest AF of 0.08secs with a start-up time of 0.5secs and a shutter time lag of 0.05secs.

The sensor is a 16.3-megapixel APS-C size X-Trans CMOS without an optical lowpass filter for optimum detail rendition that’s said to rival 35mm full-frame and its top ISO is 51,200.

Other highlights include dust and water resistance and freeze resistance to -10°C, and a 2.36 million dot electronic viewfinder with a lag time of 0.005sec and a high magnification of 0.77x.

The Fujifilm X-T1 is in the shops now with a body price of £1050 and £1400 with the XF18-55mm standard zoom. The Vertical Battery Grip costs £200 and the Metal Hand Grip is £130.

It all sounds great and we have a hands-on preview on page 19 of this issue and issue 42 of Advanced Photographer will have a full, eight-page review.

3 NEWS IN BRIEF SAMSUNG CORRECTION The correct price of the Samsung NX30 with standard lens is £899.

SIGMA SUPERZOOM PRICE Sigma has confirmed that the UK price for its 18-200mm f/3.5-6.3 DC Macro OS HSM lens, announced at CES in January, will be £349.99.

Sigma and Canon fittings will become available this month, with a Nikon fitting following in March, and Pentax and Sony in May. www.sigma-imaging. co.uk

π To find out more, go to www.fujifilm.co.uk.

Nikon start here Entry-level APS-C DSLR joins the line-up

Nikon’s latest DSLR is the D3300, a highly specified entry-level APS-C format DSLR aimed at beginners keen to take a step up with their photography.

It boasts an impressive list of great features including a 24.2-megapixel resolution, 11-point AF system, 5fps shooting and ISO up to ISO 12,800 (expandable to 25,600). Its resolution is impressive but image quality is maximised further as it doesn’t have an optical low-pass filter.

The D3300 body only costs £500, or £599 with a Nikon 18-55mm VRII lens and it’s on sale now. See page 19 for a more detailed preview of the D3300. π To find out more, go to www.nikon.co.uk.

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Latest photography news NEWS IN BRIEF HASSELBLAD FIRST Hasselblad’s first 50-megapixel mediumformat camera to use a CMOS sensor is due on sale in March. The H5D-50c is based on the existing H5D-50 but will have a faster capture rate, offer longer shutter speeds and improved ISO performance. Price is yet to be announced. www.hasselblad.com SECURE YOUR CAP No more mislaid lens caps with this neat accessory from Hufa.

The Hufa Lens Cap Clip attaches to the camera or bag strap and then the lens cap just slips into place. A great idea and good value too. It’s available in red, white and black and costs £10. www.intro2020.co.uk

OM-D now three Venice comes The E-M10 joins the E-M1 & E-M5 The Olympus OM-D range has expanded with the addition of the E-M10, an entrylevel model with a price tag of £530 for the body only or £700 for the body with the ED 14-42mm f/3.5-5.6 standard zoom.

This compact, all-metal-case camera has the AF speed and image quality of the E-M5, with the same 16-megapixel sensor, and the processing power of the E-M1, using the same TruePic VII processor. Another shared feature is the 1440k dot electronic viewfinder, which gives a bright, high-resolution image with minimal time lag, and its Adaptive Brightness Technology reproduces bright and dark scenes as they are seen by the human eye.

With such an impressive line-up of features it’s sure to attract more photographers to the OM-D system. We’ll be testing it as soon as we get a sample.

to the UK

A chance to shoot carnival colours

π To find out more, go to www.olympus.co.uk.

If you want to shoot the colour of the Venice Carnival without the expense of flying to Italy, book a place on this one-day photo workshop. Two days are available, 5 or 6 July, and the shoot takes place at The Vyne, near Basingstoke – the briefing and afternoon tea are at the Pamber Heath Memorial Hall.

Ticket price is £165 – this includes refreshments, an afternoon buffet, entrance to The Vyne, car parking and an evening sunset shoot. Each photographer will have the chance to shoot 12 different Venice Carnival costumes. π To find out more, go to www.thepixelpainter.co.uk or email Mike Jones ARPS at thepixelpainter@btinternet.com.

SAMSUNG AND GETTY TEAM UP Samsung and Getty Images have announced a global partnership to help photographers share their stories. It’s intended to advance connected photography and will see the creation of bespoke content, starting with the Samsung Collection now available on gettyimages.com, a selection of premium editorial content shot

by Getty Images’ top photographers using Samsung Smart NX cameras. www.gettyimages.co.uk

Should you be on social networks?

Lee Iggulden thinks so; read page 15 to find out why.

Interfit lights it up Great value kit from Interfit The Interfit EX200Ti lighting kit contains all you need for a two-head studio flash outfit. It includes lighting stands, two 60cm softboxes, leads, the Ti trigger, a training DVD and a carrying case – and all for £390.

But there’s more. The 200 watt output heads can be triggered and controlled wirelessly with the supplied Ti trigger. Using the trigger, flash output from each head can be adjusted wirelessly, the modelling lamp can be turned on or off from a distance of up to 30 metres and, of course, there’s wireless sync too.

Shoot Paris

π To find out more, go to www.interfitphotographic.com.

A chance to photograph the sights of the French capital with Lakeland Photographic Holidays Join John and Gail Gravett, owners of Lakeland Photographic Holidays, for a four-night escorted photography trip to Paris this October, leaving on the 23rd and returning on the 27th. The price of £890 includes travel by Eurostar, four nights B&B, Metro and Bateaux bus tickets. π To find out more, go to www.lakelandphotohols.com, or to book your place, email info@lakelandphotohols.com, quoting Paris in the subject line.

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Latest photography news NEWS IN BRIEF BAGS OF STYLE Tamron’s new range of Apache Photo Messenger bags will appeal to those who want a practical, modern bag that doesn’t look like a camera bag. The Apache 2, 4 and 6 cost £60, £80 and £100 respectively and are ideal for the photographer who wants to travel light but carry key essentials with them. There’s space for a CSC or DSLR and important accessories like spare batteries, cards and in the case of the 4 and 6, a pocket for a tablet too. www.intro2020.co.uk

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Tamron double Duo of compact all-in-one superzooms Tamron has announced the development of two new lenses with huge zoom ranges. The first is for full-frame DSLRs and offers a focal range of 28-300mm, while the other is for APS-C format sensors with a zoom range of 16-300mm.

Both have maximum apertures of f/3.5-6.3 and incorporate Tamron’s Piezo Drive ultrasonic motor for quick and quiet autofocus, as well as featuring Vibration Compensation while remaining compact.

Both lenses will be available in Canon, Nikon and Sony mounts, but prices are yet to be confirmed.

Canon launches Top G series premium compact and entrylevel DSLR announced

IMAGES Tamron’s new lenses are compact but offer huge zoom ranges.

π To find out more, go to www.intro2020.co.uk.

Steam photo days All aboard for exclusive access and tuition at the railway The Ravenglass and Eskdale Railway has launched photography days. Led by an expert photographer, the days give small groups of photographers the chance to go behind the scenes in the engine shed and to shoot from parts of the line not open to the public. A moderate level of fitness and appropriate clothing and footwear are required for a guided walking tour of the seven-mile line.

The Photography Days are for adults aged over 16 and run on Tuesday 20 May and Tuesday 2 September, so places are limited. The day’s experience costs £40 and the itinerary starts at 8.30am in Ravenglass with a safety briefing. π To find out more, go to www.ravenglass-railway.co.uk.

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The two latest additions to Canon’s line-up are a flagship compact in the PowerShot G-series and an entry-level DSLR with its own Companion app for mobile devices.

The PowerShot G1 X Mark II has a completely remastered design compared to its predecessor, with a stainless steel chassis, aluminium exterior and a large ergonomic grip.

“Although the G1 X has been a really popular camera for us it’s now just over two years old and there were things we felt we could do to improve its specification.

In fact the G1 X Mark II is quite a significant upgrade, and all around the camera there are updates,” says David Parry, Canon product specialist. “For a start, the lens now features a 5x optical zoom instead of a 4x, and the maximum aperture has gone from f/2.8 to f/2, which is very fast for a lens of this kind. These days ISO performance is so good that a fast lens is not required so much for low-light situations, rather it will allow photographers to play more with shallow depth-offield, and f/2 will open up some new possibilities.

“One thing that is missing from the new camera is a built-in optical viewfinder.

Although many photographers did like this feature in the G1 X, it was very small and you did see a portion of the lens when you looked through. We decided this was a compromise, and we now offer a separate EVF, which costs £199 as an optional extra. This can be easily clicked into place to offer you the direct view the camera is seeing, and we think those who appreciate an EVF will find this a much better solution.”

Also updated is the sensor, now a large 1.5-type 18.7x14mm chip with 12.8 megapixels that can offer depth-of-field comparable to an APS-C sensor and has large pixels for excellent low-light performance Launched alongside the new PowerShot was the EOS 1200D entry-level DSLR, which has an 18-megapixel APS-C sensor and DIGIC 4 processor, an ISO range of 100-6400 that can be extended up to ISO 12,800 and a nine-point AF system.

Together with the EOS 1200D comes the new EOS Companion app, which provides a range of expert tutorials and step-by-step exercises to help you get to grips with photography basics, as well as an Inspire section that suggests popular subjects with photographic instructions and tips to prevent common problems.

The PowerShot G1 X Mark II will be available from May 2014 at a price of £749, and the EOS 1200D body will be available for £349 from March 2014. π To find out more, go to www.canon.co.uk.

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Latest photography news

4K video in GH4

Panasonic offers pro quality for photographers and videographers Panasonic becomes the first manufacturer to include 4K video capability in a mirrorless interchangeable lens camera with the Lumix GH4. The super highresolution video capture allows you to produce cinematic movies from a camera that’s lightweight and compact as well as dust proof and splash proof.

The GH4 doesn’t neglect stills photographers though. A newly developed 16.05-megapixel Live MOS sensor is matched up with enhanced depth from defocus technology that underpins one of the world’s fastest autofocus systems, and it can shoot at a top speed of 12 frames-per-second.

Both the rear monitor and Live View Finder are high precision, high speed OLEDs, and there’s also connectivity in the form of Wi-Fi and Near Field Communication. Pricing and availability of the GH4 are yet to be announced.

Samsung refreshes its memory In a meeting with Photography News, Samsung revealed it will launch a new range of SD and microSD cards, catering for all user levels.

Final details of performance are to be confirmed, but they’ll have a new look, designed so you can see easily which card is best for your needs. The existing Standard and Pro lines will continue, with capacities of 4GB to 32GB and 16GB to 64GB respectively in both SD and microSD formats. The current Plus line is to be replaced with the Evo range, offering high-speed quality in capacities of 16GB and 32GB for SD cards, and 16GB to 64GB in microSD cards. The microSD cards will also be available with SD adaptors.

Speaking to Photography News, Stefanie SearsBlack, head of business development for memory and SSD storage at Samsung UK, explained the ideas behind the changes.

“It’s about developing products that are right for the consumer, and making sure that they are aware of what product they need,” she said. “The Evo and Pro names are also now the same names as our solid state drives, because the two products are the same – they both use flash memory.”

The new cards follow the recent launch of a new 1TB SSD in Samsung’s 840 Evo SSD range. The compact form factor of the 840 Evo SSD range means users can benefit from the speed and reliability in ultra-slim notebooks as well as desktop PCs. All the new cards feature proofing against water, magnets, temperature, shock and X-rays, and Stefanie says the priority is keeping your images safe.

“More and more we see people saying that their memory has failed and they’ve lost everything, but at Samsung we make all of our own components, so we can guarantee quality and security. Our marketing backs this as we talk about our products offering Memory for Life from the number 1 manufacturer of flash memory.”

The new cards are launched at the end of March.

π To find out more, go to www.panasonic.co.uk.

New from Sony

Alpha mirrorless accompanied by superzoom bridge cameras As Sony continues to replace its NEX branding of mirrorless cameras with Alpha, it has unveiled the A6000, and Photography News was at the launch.

We spoke to product manager Takahiro Hirata, who told us about what the new camera has to offer.

“The Alpha 6000 is our new offering aimed at the hobbyist photographer,” he says. “Its key advantages include amazing image quality, thanks to a newly developed Exmor 24.3-megapixel APS HD CMOS sensor, the inclusion of the newly developed BIONZ X processor, and the world’s fastest AF performance of just 0.06 seconds. The camera also features an extremely wide autofocus coverage area, with no less than 179 AF points, which is teamed with highprecision, contrast-detection AF. “Another key feature of the camera is the inclusion of the same OLED Tru-Finder as that used in the RX10. This features over 1.4 million dpi resolution and it’s had its refresh rate improved so the image is much smoother when you move from side to side.

EVF technology has come an incredibly long way in recent years, and the latest versions will give you

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an amazingly true to life image. The real benefit of this is being felt now. For example, you can see exactly the picture that you’re going to be taking in the viewfinder, allowing you to preview such things as the effects of adjusting focus, exposure and other settings. For me, however, the biggest advantage is that the image is magnified so that everything is much clearer, and you can even zoom in to help you to achieve ultra-accurate focus.”

Other launches from Sony included two bridge cameras with huge zoom ranges. The H400 has an enormous 63x zoom lens, offering an equivalent focal range of 24.5-1550mm, and a 20.1-megapixel sensor. Optical SteadyShot prevents blurring at such high magnification, and the body is styled like a DSLR with electronic viewfinder. The HX400V has a 50x zoom, 20.4-megapixel sensor and premiumquality Zeiss Vario-Sonnar T* lens.

The A6000 and H400 will be available from April, priced at £599 and £249 respectively, while the HX400V will be available from March at a price of £419.

BELOW LEFT TO RIGHT The new Alpha 6000, the Cyber-shot H400 and the Cyber-shot HX400V. RIGHT Product manager Takahiro Hirata with the A6000 at the launch event.

ABOVE Samsung’s 1TB 840 Evo SSD. BELOW The new Samsung SD and microSD line-up. Final read/write speeds may change.

π To find out more, go to www.samsung.com.

NEWS IN BRIEF

PIXMA PRINTERS Canon has five new Pixma printers, ranging from the Pixma iP2850 entry-level compact home printer costing just £39.99, through to the enthusiast A3+ printer, the Pixma iP8750 priced at £349.

The iP8750 includes an individual grey ink for mono prints, Wi-Fi for easy connection and can produce A3 prints in just two minutes. www.canon.co.uk PENTAX TELECONVERTER Pentax has launched a new 1.4x rear converter with HD coating for excellent optical performance. It incorporates autofocus operation of the lens, the first Pentax teleconverter to do so, and features a weatherresistant, dust proof construction to match its cameras. It will be available at the end of February for £379.99. www.ricoh-imaging. co.uk

π To find out more, go to www.sony.co.uk. www.photography-news.co.uk

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Camera clubs

f8 get competitive Successful 2013 for Taunton group

They might only have formed three years ago from a small group of photographer friends, but f8 are already winning awards, being published and pushing their photographic boundaries. Image left, from left: David Morton, Alan Grant, George Reekie, Pauline Watling, Jane Kearney, and Nick Cable. As 2013 came to a close, the f8 members totted up their points from the past 12 months’ British Photographic Exhibitions (BPE). Four members enjoyed significant successes: David and Alan went up to BPE3, George achieved his Associateship and Pauline gained her BPE2 crown. f8 meets monthly at each other’s homes or on location, to discuss recent work, plan entries and trips. Formed to share the enjoyment and fun of photography, they have a competitive purpose, and push themselves to improve their skills.

They set regular challenges, which are critiqued at meetings (sometimes harshly when the wine is flowing!), but in the end, it’s all about improvement and fun. π To find out more about f8, go to f8imagegroup.com.

Colchester 75 not out

New Frontiers

David Jordan ARPS

Ware & District Photographic Society celebrates its 50th year To commemorate its 50th year, Ware & District PS presents New Frontiers by Peter Cairns, a spectacular audiovisual show combining still imagery, video and music. One of Europe’s leading wildlife and conservation photographers, Peter Cairns reveals some of his most memorable encounters from the last ten years and describes how those encounters have shaped his thoughts about our own changing relationship with the natural world.

New Frontiers is on Sunday 13 April at the Drill Hall, Ware SG12 9HP. Tickets are £10 in advance. π To find out more about New Frontiers and Ware and District PS, go to wareps.foliopic.com.

Colchester Photographic Society celebrates its 75th anniversary next season with special events including a number of exciting speakers. As always other clubs will be invited along – so watch this space!

But before that, this season’s highlight is quite possibly David Jordan ARPS’s talk, The Creative Compact, on 18 March. He’ll extol the virtues of the humble compact in situations where a DSLR might not be suitable. π To find out more about Colchester PS, go to colchesterphotosoc.co.uk.

HAILSHAM PS COLOUR SHOW Hailsham Photographic Society’s Colour Show is an audiovisual event that showcases members’ images, projected in sequences and mostly set to music.

This year’s show takes place on Friday 7 and Saturday 8 March, and supports the charity MS Family Support.

There’s also a prize raffle and refreshments.

The Colour Show is on at 7.30pm Friday and Saturday evenings, plus a matinee at 2.30pm on Saturday, at Hailsham Community Hall, Hailsham BN27 2AX (entrance next to the Freedom Leisure Centre). Tickets are £5 and available from The Camera Centre and The Nodding Cobbler in Hailsham. Alternatively, phone 01323 845569. www.hailshamphoto graphicsociety.co.uk

Tell us your club’s latest news PN needs your news.

Please ask your secretary or publicity officer to email us with your latest news, whether that’s a big speaker, an award or an exhibition, because we’d love to hear from you and share your news with our readers.

Stories should be 250 words maximum and accompanied by a high-resolution JPEG (at least 2400 pixels on the longest dimension). Thank you.

Email PN at clubnews@ photography-news. co.uk.

Rob Lea

An Alpine journey

NEWS IN BRIEF

CAP hosts a talk from pro shooter Rob Lea this month On 24 February, you can hear professional photographer Rob Lea talk at Club Abington Photographic. He presents From Mont Blanc to the Sea, describing his journey from keen amateur taking images of (and from) fast jets to turning professional and living in the Alps, as well as looking at life on a small island in the Atlantic.

The club meeting gets underway at 7.45pm and all comers are welcome to join members at this small, friendly club for what promises to be an interesting and stimulating evening. Entry is £2.50.

Based in Northampton, Club Abington Photographic has been around since 1949 and offers a varied programme of events, including guest speakers, internal and external competitions, plus a range of technical and practical evenings to help members of all levels of experience and capability to improve their skills. π To find out more about Club Abington Photographic, go to www.clubabington.org.uk.

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Competitions

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INTERVIEW

Wigan wins World Cup Wigan 10 stands atop the world having won the FIAP Club’s World Cup for the third time. Not only that but British clubs occupied the top three positions Interview by Will Cheung Many people will have heard about Wigan 10 but for those readers who haven’t can you briefly tell us what Wigan 10 is all about?

Wigan 10 is not like other clubs. Our numbers, currently around the 14 mark, reflect the limited space we have available. We don’t have lecturers nor do we compete against each other. The principal aim of the club is to encourage members in their photography and to enter national and international salons. We each bring pictures along to be appraised by others. There is no limit to the number of times a picture can be brought back having been improved by the author. Nor is there any pressure from the club to constantly produce ‘top drawer’ images.

The strength of the group lies in its diversity. Most photographic genres are covered but having said that there is a good deal of overlap. Our members are always eager to improve their skills in other areas. We all help each other.

Anyone who wishes to join us can contact us via our website.

Many readers will not be familiar with the competition. Can you give us some idea of how the FIAP Club’s World Cup is organised and how many clubs you beat?

The FIAP World Cup is open to all photographic clubs in the world. This year we beat 136 other clubs to become world champions. Twenty images from each club are submitted on CD together with the entry fee. The judging days are closed sessions. www.photography-news.co.uk

Wigan 10 must be totally delighted with its success in the 8th FIAP Club’s World Cup. That’s two years running and your third win in total, plus you have never been out of the first six. What do you attribute this amazing success rate to?

That’s a hard one! We are hard taskmasters.

Attention to detail is crucial. With our pictures we aim for immediate impact. Most competitions and salons, the World Cup included, are judged by a panel of judges. They only have a few seconds to respond to an image so it’s vital for us to choose images that will leap off the screen.

Please can you outline how the club chose the images that were put forward? Is there an internal judging beforehand and lots of arguing or is it pretty calm and straightforward?

The strength of Wigan 10 is that we all choose the pictures we use for competitions. We start with a bank of perhaps 60 top images from everyone.

By a series of votes we whittle this down round by round until we arrive at the right number. The first few images are easy to pick and track records of pictures are taken into consideration. At the end we look at what we have chosen and hopefully the cream has risen to the top.

This year, British clubs occupied the first three places, the first time one country has so dominated the World Cup. UK club photography is clearly in a good place right now. Is that an accurate reflection of the UK’s skill level?

When you look at many of the international salons that are run throughout the year, UK photographers

CLOCKWISE FROM TOP LEFT Sparrows

by Roy Rimmer; Lost

by KT Allen; You don’t say by Kathryn Scorah; Osprey with fish by Austin Thomas; Four-spotted chaser by Chris Hague; The three graces by Joan Blease; Dancing in the street

by Christine Widdall.

RIGHT FROM TOP Peter Fox by Maurice Jones; Willet dispute

by Geoff Walsh.

FIAP FIAP is the Federation Internationale de L’Art Photographique. π To find out more about its work and the World Cup, go to www.fiap.net.

are well represented amongst the award winners.

That must be reflected in competitions like the World Cup. However, you never know what the judges will be looking for so it’s never a foregone conclusion.

Who were the judges in this year’s FIAP World Club Cup? This year’s judges were Emile Wanderscheid, EFIAP, HonEFIAP, Luxembourg; Branislav Brkic, MFIAP, EFIAP/s, ESFIAP, Serbia: and Dave Coates, EFIAP/G, Great Britain.

What’s the aim for next year? A hat-trick of victories, I suppose. Do you think that’s possible?

Wigan 10 has entered the World Cup every year since its inception. Each year we have to find a fresh set of images. Clubs who maybe haven’t been in it before have many more images from which to choose. So any one of them could win it. π To find out more, go to wigan10.com.

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Profile INTERVIEW

Susie Donaldson

Answering PN’s incisive questions, including why top-end Canon lenses are white, this month is Canon’s consumer imaging marketing director Please introduce yourself to our readers.

I’m the consumer imaging marketing director at Canon UK and Ireland. I look after all aspects of marketing for Canon’s consumer portfolio ensuring all products are brought to market effectively and that our campaigns are implemented with impact and efficiency. I look at a mix of things from understanding what’s happening now and keeping one eye on the future.

The power of image runs through everything we do, from entry-level cameras to professional print.

We’re unique in that we also have a huge range on our business imaging side, giving imaging power to business users and through our professional print division. We are not only maintaining our broad range but expanding all the time with mobile apps and our own photo sharing site, Project 1709, which we are looking forward to talking more about soon.

What are your proudest career achievements?

In my seven years at Canon the last 12 months have been the most challenging but the most rewarding.

Many of the categories that we cover were under pressure yet we achieved some record market positions for our products and at the same time we launched a campaign ‘first’ with the inclusion of all our products under the Power To Your Next Step umbrella. On top of that we made huge steps forward with our digital activity including the launch of Live Chat for our cashback campaign, a 10x increase in our Facebook fans, the launch of our ‘digital demonstrator’ activity and we’ve been helping create, what I hope are really interesting photography videos for our retailers’ websites.

With Canon’s breadth of products, the Power to Your Next Step campaign made perfect sense.

How has it been received by customers?

Our campaign has been successful in showcasing our range and encourages people to take their next step. The success could be seen over Christmas, particularly with our digital campaign. We saw our highest ever interaction rate on Facebook with our Capture Christmas activity. But it was more than a campaign; it acted as a talking point when speaking with retailers and is a genuine expression of how we want to support our customers on every step of their imaging journey.

Canon is a global market leader, but how is the company doing in these cash-strapped times?

When our customers’ wallets are under pressure, we see them turning to the trusted brands that can deliver a quality product and a good customer experience. As the market leader in DSLR and compact camera markets, customers are confident that Canon will give them value for money and a great photographic experience. People are still willing to spend their money on camera equipment but are putting more into research to make sure they are making the right choice. We want to help them make the right choice for their needs which is why we are continuing to improve our digital content.

Canon must take great pride in being the only imaging company to offer input (cameras and scanners) and output solutions (printers). Is the aim to continue to offer a wide product range?

Yes, we are very proud to have such a diverse product range and not forgetting the software in between.

What in your view is the biggest technical challenge facing Canon right now?

The boundary at the moment is the relationship between the size of the camera and the size of the sensor. People are asking for the biggest sensor in the smallest body, which creates huge technical

Photography News | Issue 5

YEARS IN THE PHOTO INDUSTRY: 7 CURRENT LOCATION: Reigate LAST PICTURE TAKEN: I recently recorded my daughter’s first steps!

WHEN YOU WERE YOUNGER, WHAT DID YOU WANT TO DO WHEN YOU GREW UP? Fighter pilot, unfortunately I’m now scared of flying!

DOGS OR CATS? Cats TOAST OR CEREAL? Toast EMAIL OR PHONE CALL? Phone or Facebook!

Can you explain why top-end Canon lenses are white rather than the traditional black?

Many people think this is just to signify that it’s a long zoom Canon L series lens, however, the technical reason is a white lens reflects light and heat. As a lens is essentially a metal tube this stops them heating up, expanding and the glass moving out of alignment.

Canon has built Wi-Fi into its latest cameras. Is sharing going to be a big attraction?

In the compact camera world this is an important feature and the benefits are starting to filter through to the DSLR user. It introduces additional features like RemoteCapture. We’ve found features like this are especially popular among professional photographers shooting wildlife. I’d expect to see more Wi-Fi enabled features as time moves on.

What in your view has been Canon’s most successful technology of the past few years?

One of our true strengths is lens design. When we build any product, top of the list is image quality.

More recently the introduction of Full HD on our EOS range changed the way people use their DSLRs.

In your view, what is the most exciting technology in current Canon cameras?

The current DIGIC processors. Their power enables features like high-speed shooting, creative filters, low-light capability, zoom plus – the list goes on. All this gives the best experience to the photographer.

2013 seemed a quiet year for Canon with three DSLRs announced, will 2014 see more launches?

2013 was an exciting year. We launched the world’s smallest APS-C DSLR with the EOS 100D and the EOS 70D with built-in Wi-Fi and fast autofocus during movies. We have other areas of our business too and we have made big advances in the pro video world with our new Cine products for example.

We’re looking forward to what 2014 will bring.

AGE: 37

challenges but makes for an interesting future. We’ve been delivering products with the best balance of these features for years, but our latest and greatest was the EOS 100D – the smallest and lightest DSLR in its class but still including an APS-C sized sensor.

Is Canon serious about the CSC market or was the M a toe in the water to test the temperature?

We are very proud to have the EOS M in our range.

It has opened up the image quality of EOS to new users who maybe wouldn’t consider a DSLR. The EOS M was the number 2 selling CSC in the UK in 2013 – a testament to the strength of its features.

Canon’s highest resolution DSLR is the EOS 5D Mark III at 22 megapixels. Does Canon think that super-high resolution is not a headline feature?

We find super-high resolution can result in things like pixel blur and excessive file sizes. We have to look at what is important and how people will be using our cameras. For example a 22-megapixel image can be printed in large dimensions which is important for many professionals. Many factors influence final specifications such as how it’s used and the different conditions that it will be used in.

BIOGRAPHY

The biggest sensor in the smallest body creates huge technical challenges but makes for an interesting future

Are compact cameras doomed with the camera phone playing such a big role in photography?

We have watched with interest over recent months the launch of several new smartphones offering photographic features. As a leading photography brand we are happy to see photography becoming even more popular. We want to help people take their next step and that’s why we offer products with the highest possible image quality and the most advanced features. Our compact and DSLR ranges offer these features in abundance, allowing for the best results. Photos represent memories, and we aim to ensure that people retain the quality of those memories in years to come.

In the pro market, Canon seems to have held on to its market share in this sector. Why? We have a very large EOS system and great support from our Canon Professional Services network which I feel is key for pro photographers. Looking forward we want to engage with future photographers too and that’s why in 2013 we launched the Canon Student Network. Watch this space! π To find out more, go to www.canon.co.uk. www.photography-news.co.uk

Advertisement feature

11

MANFROTTO BAGS

Ready for everything Above all else, a camera bag should keep your kit safe. Manfrotto’s new Professional bags do just that When you’re carrying thousands of pounds’ worth of camera kit, the risk of knocking or dropping it can be a worry – but not with Manfrotto’s new range of Professional bags. They offer advanced protection so you can be sure your camera gear is safe, and they do it without compromising on ease of use or style.

Protection for your kit is at the heart of Manfrotto’s Professional bags, with its unique Camera Protection System. The centre of most bags is the weakest point, even though it’s also where most of us keep our main camera body and favourite lens. If you drop a bag full of kit, the items around the edges get forced into the middle and compress what’s there, risking serious damage.

Manfrotto has recognised this risk, and designed the Camera Protection System to reduce it. It uses a thick layer of shock-absorbing dividers that encase the central area. They’re made with 3D shock-absorbing foam that dampens the force of impact, as well as structured reinforcement board and a brushed fabric outer layer. If the worst happens, it’s the Camera Protection System that takes the hit, not your kit.

The first line of defence against any impact though is the Exo-Tough construction, designed to prevent much of the force reaching the inside of the bag at all. It’s made up of a multi-layered shockabsorbing foam covered with a high-performance rip-resistant fabric on the outside, and a brushed fabric on the inside so there’s no risk of scratching your kit. This spreads the initial shock of an impact across the surface of the bag rather than through it, channelling the impact away from your kit inside so you can rest assured that it’s safe.

With the Manfrotto Professional bags, you don’t need to worry about taking your kit out in the wet either: there’s a built-in rain cover that makes sure no water can reach your kit, and almost all models have feet to keep the bottom above wet or muddy ground so it can’t soak up any moisture.

None of this protection compromises the design of the Professional bags, because they’ve also been fashioned for ease of use. All the pockets and compartments are positioned for convenience and ease of access, while the durable metal fastenings and oversized zips mean there’s no fumbling to get into them when you want to get at things in a hurry. What’s more, the minimal and stylish design means they’re suitable for any situation while remaining discreet.

Protection for your kit is at the heart of Manfrotto’s Professional bags, with its unique Camera Protection System. It uses a thick layer of shock-absorbing dividers to encase the central area

With a total of 16 bags in the Manfrotto Professional range, there’s sure to be one that suits your needs, no matter what you’re shooting or where you’re going. Professional backpacks are built to carry pro DSLR bodies, lenses, flashes, a laptop, tripod and accessories, while Professional shoulder bags let you easily carry and access all your camera kit as well as a laptop, tablet, notebook, documents and personal items. The range also includes holsters for carrying minimal kit, sling bags for easy access and comfort, and roller bags for carrying large amounts of kit – these even comply with airline regulations, so you can be sure of maximum protection on your travels.

The Manfrotto Professional range is great value too, with prices starting at just £65 for the Professional Holster Plus 20 and going up to £320 for the Professional Roller bag 70. π To find out more, go to www.manfrotto.co.uk.

IMAGE Pick up your Professional bag and head out for a shoot confident that your kit is safe and secure.

SLING ROLLER BAG

BACKPACK

SHOULDER BAG

HOLSTER www.photography-news.co.uk

Issue 5 | Photography News

Photography News | Issue 5

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Opinion

13

BEFORE THE JUDGE

Dave Hipperson Each issue, a respected judge or exhibition selector shares their thoughts and experiences with us. This month, we put our questions to Dave Hipperson, photo competition judge MEET THE JUDGE Dave Hipperson: Dave’s interest in photography was sparked by his early career in motorsport publishing and his real passion, competitive model aviation. However he didn’t start photography competitively until 2010.

Home club: Park Street (North London).

I owe a huge debt to Harrow for putting me on the right path first.

Years in photography? 44.

Favourite camera: It’s the one I have with me when the ‘thing’ happens or appears before me. Bugger how many megapixels it can handle.

Favourite lens: This tends to be very wide angle, 10mm end. However I also enjoy the possibilities of extreme telephoto especially in landscape photography and candid stuff.

Favourite photo accessory: A tripod, only because it is so often with me when I don’t need it and not with me when I do.

Favourite subject: My wife. The second choice is landscape; it seems to be relegated to the back burner, probably because it’s hard to create contest winning, five-second impact shots.

Awards won: Apart from some lovely trophies from the Harrow Club I haven’t won anything spectacular.

The moment I most cherish was when I was asked to address the latest intake of potential judges for the Chilterns area. I had been only judging myself for a year.

Words by Dave Hipperson

This competition photographic stuff is new to me but in the three years that I’ve been involved I have been paying attention. When attending my first club competitions, I felt I was taking it in easily – particularly the judging aspects – and it is still a source of some surprise to me that a lot of people around me weren’t, and still aren’t. Within a few contests I was having to metaphorically sit on my hands to stop myself joining in the judging.

So I wanted to try this judging stuff, and not because I saw or heard judges that I found unpleasant or irritating. I just wanted to work a few slants and angles of my own where I saw potential. I was encouraged in this aim by my club chairman at the time, Mark Buckley-Sharp, who advised me to attend one of the judging workshops run by the Chilterns Association of Camera Clubs.

What fascinated me about judging was the form, the art, the challenge of the craft if you like. The performance aspects, as much as finishing up with the correct order and the correct spread of scores.

The adrenaline rush as images flash in front of you and you realise that in a few seconds you have to talk intelligently about each one.

The judge’s preferences are always a hot topic.

Club members think they can second-guess us if they know what we like. Believe me, a proper judge sees way past all that. My own output veers towards landscape, architecture and street (preferably wet cobbles) but when I judge I want to be surprised.

I think it is a great privilege to be able to tour the clubs viewing other people’s work. It gives me great ideas – remember most of the time we judges are competitors just like everyone else and we don’t win all the time either.

The techno revolution Since the advent of computer-assisted imaging the software available has come on in leaps and bounds.

Computer techniques which only a few years ago looked so much easier than what could be achieved in the laboratory are themselves being made to look somewhat laborious. I fear that it won’t be long before there are systems that not only allow us to do almost anything to an image but also advise us what to do.

Whatever has been used shouldn’t be too evident unless the intention is to make it weird; then the sky is the limit. And talking of skies: there is no such thing as an unrealistic sky! The next time I hear a judge nit-picking the colour of the sky I shall scream.

Go to the Arctic and look at the Northern Lights.

The duff shot is a glorious challenge for the judge; and remember, he has to recognise the worst one of the evening pretty darn quick and to be sure to score it low, not to be nasty, but so there is room enough above to place the rest of the evening’s work in a sensible order without bunching everything in the 16/17s, which is done far too often.

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ABOVE Vanishing point,

by Dave Hipperson.

So I am looking for my 13 of the evening. When I have it in front of me I shall first do my utmost to see what the author wanted to show me and then make some gentle suggestions as to how they might have done that more clearly whilst all the time wondering why they had actually bothered to take it. It’s the most satisfying feeling when you can tease out the best aspects of a bad shot and then manage to elucidate them informatively to the author and the audience. I do not hesitate to heap praise on the really wonderful shot of course, but the good images are easy to judge. I have only been lost for words when it is absolutely impossible to work out what I am looking at. I wish authors wouldn’t do that.

I like to be able to see the photographic content – sometimes I worry that there might not be any.

Rewriting the rule book I must remind the reader that although only in competitive photography for three years or so, I live and breathe competition rules – always have done.

I have spent a good proportion of my life writing them – some quite complicated ones. I come to competitive photography afresh and find it in a very precariously balanced position right now. You were protected when it was all film but now people that a few years ago would not have been called photographers have access. That’s good. I would love to see every person with any camera device attending a photographic club once a week. However this access to and dependence on the computer is changing competitive photography like it’s changing the world. Digital cannot be uninvented and for a lot of us it’s a great boon – makes all that smelly, messy and sometimes quite dangerous chemical stuff we had to do quite unnecessary. However there is a downside. The population generally is becoming more and more computer literate. There are quite mature people out there whose first memories are

playing Space Invaders. The younger end of the population control a computer as naturally as some of us can fly an aeroplane or drive a car. Those with any sort of artistic temperament will, in an instant, totally dominate competitive photography and they won’t be photographers in the sense that you and I understand.

It is vitally important that we decide quickly what we want to do about this. Otherwise the ‘c’ before ‘club’ will no longer be for ‘camera’ – it will be ‘computer’. There is room to celebrate all types of image production from straightforward natural history through to almost entirely computer constructed work. However inside the competitive framework it is vital that we differentiate between these types. At both extremes they are intriguing and creative and useful but we must guard against these new procedures swamping the traditional beauty of straightforward picture-taking if we don’t want purist photographers driven away and our hobby changed out of all recognition.

My advice to help you to be successful in photographic contests is this: don’t try to be successful. Learn from the pictures you take and criticisms of them but don’t think ‘contest’ all the time when you’re taking photographs. Remember all you have learned in contests by all means but take the picture because it appealed to you first. You will have those clichés running around in your mind so it’s going to be difficult but be original, don’t follow fashion. Show us something new; you never know, you may finish up inventing a genre.

I’ve only been lost for words when it is absolutely impossible to work out what I am looking at Issue 5 | Photography News

14

Advertisement feature EPSON PRINTERS

Join the inkjet set Need persuading to print out your handiwork? Epson has three good reasons to get you started Every photographer has shots they’re really proud of; ones that sum up a great day, remind you of a special person or evoke a happy memory. You’re probably thinking about one or two of those images right now. So why, then, are they sat on your computer’s hard drive? Great photographs should be printed and shared so they can be enjoyed by family, friends and fellow photographers, not gathering virtual dust on your PC. Epson produces a range of inkjet printers that will help you get the very best results from your digital files. With a range of great features and cuttingedge technology, you can get lab-quality results in minutes whether you want A4, A3, A2 or even larger prints. In the next few issues of Photography News, we’ll introduce you to some of the photographers who use Epson printers to bring their images to life, but for starters here are three key reasons why you should make Epson inkjets your first choice.

With a range of great features and cutting-edge technology, you can get lab-quality results in minutes whether you want A4 or A2

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can produce up to A3 size prints, also features an 8.8cm touch screen that enables users to swipe through functions or scroll through images on a memory card inserted into one of the printer’s card slots. In fact, you don’t even need a computer or memory card to start printing. Selected models also use Epson Connect to offer mobile and cloud printing options, enabling you to print from tablets, smartphones and other mobile devices with the relevant app.

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The combination of print head technology, high-quality dye or pigment-based inks and a wide range of media delivers prints that offer great colours, a wide tonal range and excellent detail in highlights, shadows and mid-tones. Even greater versatility is offered by models offering larger print sizes, such as the Stylus Photo R3000. This A3+ model features three densities of black ink, two of which are automatically swapped according to the type of print media in use. Unrivalled versatility like this means Epson printers deliver superb results whether you’re printing out in full colour or black & white.

To find out more about the entire Epson range of inkjet printers, go to www.epson.co.uk where you’ll also find details on the cashback offers available on the Expression Premium and Photo ranges between now and 31 March 2014.

Photography News | Issue 5

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Opinion

15 SPEAKERS’ CORNER

Get networking

Social network sites offer clubs and club members an incredible opportunity to communicate, share and enjoy their passion for photography. Lee Iggulden of Welshot Imaging puts forward her case for getting online Words by Lee Iggulden Social media. Love it or loathe it, it is here to stay in some way, shape or form. It’s how people communicate and interact, regardless of whether you want them to or not. If you’re not using social media as a platform, as a way of getting your work or website seen, you are missing a trick. That goes for your camera club’s website as well.

I am going to do something I very rarely do in my business: assume. I’ve already figured you must love photography, but I am going to assume you are an enthusiast, albeit a serious enthusiast who is dedicated and committed to a life of cameras, lenses, tripods and bags. The reason I’ve done that is because if you are a semi-pro or professional photographer I’d like to think you are already doing your bit on social media – but in a considered, methodical and well-planned marketing and business manner. If not, I suggest you get onto some social media training courses and learn pretty smartish because it’s the way business is done now – and it’s a perfect platform for the photographer if used correctly.

Reaching the masses Why would you want to use social media if you are not a semi-pro or professional photographer? Why would you go to the bother of setting up walls and pages on Facebook, learning how to tweet and retweet on Twitter or learning how to tag, hashtag and post images so they can be seen by a wide audience, or learn how to make new friends and follow people you don’t know?

Why would you need to be on social media if you have your own website – people can find you there can’t they? Why would your club need a Facebook group if it has a website and a forum? I am working again on the assumption that your website, personal or club, does not have the volume of people coming to it like those of Facebook, Twitter or Google+ do.

No offence meant but you can’t beat the resources and the mass appeal – no use trying to beat it so get in there and use it to your own benefit. Facebook, Twitter and Google+ can be used to promote your club. Get some likes and shares and that could lead to new members, more people coming to see your club exhibition, Facebook competitions between clubs – the ideas are limitless and the boundaries almost non-existent.

As a photographer the first question to ask yourself is: what do you want the outcome to be if you are not interested in running a photography business? And that comes down, in many cases, to making friends, interacting with like-minded people, and learning in an environment that has www.photography-news.co.uk

not, until recently, been possible. And it will often cost you nothing but some time and a little effort with maximum reward. Just think of the different people you could meet from the comfort of your own armchair.

I know of many enthusiast photographers getting the chance to photograph stuff that they wouldn’t have had a chance to shoot if it had not been for the interaction on Facebook or Twitter, from shooting at live band gigs to winning competitions and even getting work published in a photographic magazine.

I myself got a chance to attend a photography magazine’s reader challenge a few years ago just because someone introduced me to someone through a photographic online forum.

Social media – from Facebook to Twitter, from Flickr to Instagram, from photographic websites to online blogs and not to mention Google+ – gives you access to a whole world of photography and a chance to interact with people from Australia to Zimbabwe. It’s amazing if you use it properly. Unless I am getting it really wrong. And I am really sorry but that won’t happen by using your personal or club website alone, no matter how great it is. Even our business website with a forum doesn’t get the traffic that our group and business Facebook pages get.

It’s a fact of life and instead of trying to beat it, I am using it to our advantage. You should do the same.

Social media has opened up a whole new world; gone are the days when people who couldn’t get to a camera club missed out – social media can be accessed anywhere as long as there is an Internet connection. You can join online groups (like a virtual camera club really) – you could even form your own group if you wanted. What about creating one just for your camera club where members could see images all year round? Ask people to join your group and who knows what will happen. You can take part in webinars, competitions, challenges and you can learn by watching others or you can jump right in and ask questions and make new friends.

Instant gratification I remember belonging to a postal camera club.

Each month prints would arrive at my door, I’d look through them, I’d make comments in the book and then post it on to the next person. I gave up: anyone who knows me could have told you it was not for me, because it wasn’t instant enough. I wanted results and conversation NOW! Well, social media has done that for me and more. I’ve made new friends, I’ve networked, and I’ve interacted, read blogs and seen wonderful images; and it’s all because of social media.

I’ve lost count of how many times I’ve asked ‘How do I…?’ or ‘Anyone know where I can park when I go to…?’ and in the group that I run I see time and

Social media has opened up a whole new world; gone are the days when people who couldn’t get to a camera club missed out

time again people with a passion for photography helping one another.

Yes, you do have to be careful and there are all sorts of things to consider, from security settings to tagging your images, from the recent controversy around orphan works to people stealing your images – BUT, that’s a whole other story and maybe I could come back and help you with those things.

First, get yourself onto Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or Google+. Make friends, get followers, join groups, create circles, get yourself into hangouts and have some fun while you learn about a whole new world of photography available to the passionate photographer at the click of a button. π To find out more, go to www.welshotimaging. co.uk. Or search for them on Facebook.

IMAGE Lee has learnt the true benefits of getting online, and recognises its importance to her photography.

WHAT DO YOU THINK? Are you a hashtagging whizz, a Facebook fanatic, or yet to jump on board? Tell us about your experiences of social media, good and bad, at opinion@photographynews.co.uk.

Issue 5 | Photography News

16

Competitions INTERVIEW

157 years of excellence The Royal Photographic Society’s International Print Exhibition has been running since 1854, and has been the launch pad for the careers of a slew of celebrated photographers. We asked the exhibitions manager, Lesley Goode, for the secrets of the competition’s success Interview by Will Cheung What is the background to the RPS International Print Exhibition?

The Royal Photographic Society’s International Print Exhibition is the longest-standing exhibition of its kind in the world. It was first shown in 1854, the year following the formation of The Society. Now in its 157th year, it has gained a reputation for showcasing a wide range of genres and styles of photography, with cutting-edge images being shown alongside traditional work.

The high profile of the exhibition’s history, name and format ensures wide coverage by the photographic media and a positive response from gallery visitors. We have also developed an education pack, which is now an important element of exhibitions for many of the galleries.

Photography News | Issue 5

How did you get into your role as exhibitions manager?

I started working for the RPS in 1999, and was offered the role of exhibitions manager in 2003.

My background in teaching has given me the organisational skills required for the job. My teaching specialism was in art and I did some modules in photography, so this has given me an appreciation and a love of the photographic image.

What are your other responsibilities besides the Print exhibition?

The role has developed significantly since I started and I now have a full-time assistant.

As well as the International Print Exhibition, we also run other competitions which result in RPS touring exhibitions, including the annual International Images for Screen Exhibition (formerly the International Slide Exhibition),

BELOW Home from a Maternity Hospital, by Sergey Anisimov.

the biennial RPS Members’ Print Exhibition and the biennial International Images for Science Exhibition. We organise one-off exhibitions like Celebrate a Summer of Sport, which celebrated the 2012 Olympics as part of the Cultural Olympiad, and exhibitions for photo events, such as the Bristol Festival of Photography and London Photo Art Fair, plus a monthly online competition for RPS members and a monthly display of member’s print work in the reception area at our headquarters in Bath. We also work with hospitals, by providing temporary exhibitions for display.

In addition to these exhibitions, we also arrange RPS patronage to other organised exhibitions and salons which fulfil The Society’s criteria for recognition and, of course, we also update the exhibitions, competitions and events on the RPS website so, as you can imagine, we are kept very busy indeed!

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Competitions

17

What have been the big changes since the first event you organised?

Obviously the most significant changes have come about because of the digital revolution, which has seen us accept digital entries and display images in online galleries, and enabled us to reach out to all corners of the globe, but we are still very much committed to continuing with our programme of touring print exhibitions.

What do you feel has been your greatest achievement as exhibitions manager?

Developing and increasing the number of exhibitions and competitions and reaching out to an ever-increasing audience worldwide has been a very rewarding achievement. The positive feedback I receive makes all the hard work worthwhile.

It’s interesting that you ask for digital entries online and then only the shortlisted entrants get asked to send in prints. This has benefits for all concerned: less physical work for the RPS and less expense for entrants. Were these the motivations for this approach or were there other reasons for it?

Last year was the first time that we invited digital entries to the International Print Competition, alongside print entries. Our primary motivation was the benefit to overseas entrants. We had nearly double the entrants and most of the increase came from overseas. Obviously, moving to digital does also cut down on the physical work, but this has always been managed successfully so this was not a driving factor. Many of the big competitions are now being run digitally, in keeping with the times, including the Taylor Wessing and even the Royal Academy and this year, we are running the competition wholly digitally.

Is it possible to assess an image’s quality as a print on-screen?

The selectors have the expertise and ability to assess the quality and visualise the image as a print. Some of the images are actually scans of photographic prints from film, such as those that have been produced using special processes, such as tintypes, cyanotypes and wet collodion. The 300 or so shortlisted images will be supplied as prints for the final selection of 100 prints for the exhibition and catalogue, including the Gold, Silver and Bronze award winners.

Where does the exhibition get shown?

The exhibition usually opens in London and then tours the UK for approximately ten months to another four or five venues. It also occasionally travels overseas and has been exhibited in the Ukraine and China. I have shown RPS exhibitions in a variety of venues in the past, including the Palace of Westminster and the Royal Albert Hall.

ABOVE Play Nice by Monika Drzewicz.

ABOVE RIGHT Skyrider by Clive Downes.

members worldwide, so we expect to have a predominance of members entering. However, since the competition opened this January, we have seen a high proportion of non-members entering.

Photography is so much more accessible worldwide that selected entries can come from almost anywhere these days. This year, we are already seeing entries from countries not seen before.

You offer cash prizes. Is it a challenge getting sponsors in this cash-strapped era?

Yes, it is a challenge getting sponsors and we are currently in negotiations with some potential sponsors, but we are fortunate to not to have to rely on sponsorship. We had sponsorship for many years from Kodak and more recently from international legal practice, Allen & Overy LLP. Olympus has also been a great supporter of our Youth Award.

What are the current imaging trends?

We can see how trends have changed by looking back over the exhibition catalogues that we produce every year. Recently, of course, we saw a lot more digitally manipulated and Photoshopped work but we are now seeing an increased amount of black & white photography coming back in, and some very good straight portraiture work.

If you look at our current 157 competition site, you can click on All Images and see what is being entered, so you can get a good idea of the diversity of photography that is out there today.

How do you choose your selectors?

We have an exhibition committee who meet and discuss names for selectors. We always aim to have a panel of selectors from a variety of backgrounds in photography, who have expertise in their field.

How big is the team working on the event?

The ‘team’ consists of myself and my assistant, with support from the exhibitions committee and volunteers who help with hanging and taking down exhibitions when needed.

Which are the most successful countries?

The UK is obviously the most successful. China also generally does well because of their large entry, and a proportion of good quality and imaginative work.

The USA usually also does well and last year was Italy’s year, with all three medal winners!

What, in your opinion, will be the next big trend in imaging style?

Obviously we have a lot more manipulated work now. You do find that when a new trend comes in, you get a saturation of entries in the same style, such as recent HDR and slow shutter speed sea and water scapes, so it is exciting when a new trend or technique emerges. I think that a lot of us are happy to see the current movement of going back to basics, using film and traditional processes or presenting work with very little manipulation, and I definitely think that this is a growing trend.

From your personal standpoint, what sort of imagery excites you most?

I am a big fan of Tim Walker’s work. I saw an exhibition of his at Les Rencontres d’Arles a few years ago and was blown away. I like the juxtaposition between reality and fantasy.

How many entries do you get, and have entry numbers varied much in recent years?

When it was print entry only, we generally had around 600 people entering, but last year, with digital entry, the number of entrants nearly doubled and we anticipate a further increase this year.

Which are the up-and-coming countries?

We had acceptances from 24 countries including the UK last year. There are no clear frontrunners.

The International Print Exhibition is open to members and non-members – what’s the ratio?

Last year it was approximately two-thirds members to non-members. The Society has over 11,000

We can see how trends have changed by looking back over the exhibition catalogues that we produce every year. We are now seeing an increased amount of black & white photography

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Issue 5 | Photography News

18

Competitions Fancy entering?

THIS IMAGE Extreme Foraging by Ron McCombe.

BELOW S’Ardia. Introduction to Life in Barbagia by Mattia Vacca.

Silver Award winner.

This year’s International Print Competition is the 157th and it’s open to non-members and members of the RPS. The closing date for entries is 18 March 2014 but images can be changed any time up to the close of the competition.

SELECTORS: Paul Seawright Photographer and Professor of Photography at the University of Ulster www.paulseawright.com Anne McNeill Director of Impressions Gallery, Bradford www.impressions-gallery.com

Having images selected in the International Print Exhibition has helped launch the careers of many now well-known photographers including Julia Fullerton-Batten, Simon Roberts, Laura Pannack, Harry Borden, Justyna Neryng and Jordi Ruiz Cirera.

We get great pleasure from seeing the subsequent success of those who have entered the competition.

Looking through the thousands of entries, every now and then I spot one that excites me. If it is selected, we often use it on our publicity material. I was impressed by Emma Powell’s work in last year’s exhibition. She had a stunning cyanotype titled ‘Against the Storm’ selected and we have used it on some of our call for entries advertising this year. I was also impressed with the work of Carlotta Cardana, Sergey Anisimov, Guy Brown and Monika Drzewicz.

What are the biggest weaknesses in entries?

The biggest weaknesses are very badly manipulated and Photoshopped images or those that have glaring technical defects such as composites that are badly constructed with obvious drop-ins etc. If it is done well, a heavily manipulated image can be stunning, but done badly it is an obvious rejection.

Do you have any advice for photographers wanting to enter?

It is worth thinking about choosing a genre that is generally under-represented. We tend to lack good landscape, natural history and photojournalism images. The exhibition aims to showcase a diversity of genres and styles, so it is sometimes beneficial to try and think outside the box and consider what might stand out to the judges. The judges will be looking for images that make an impression on them and capture their imagination, be it for the subject matter, composition, process or some other element which shows skill or imagination.

Photography News | Issue 5

The biggest weaknesses are very badly Photoshopped images or those that have glaring technical defects

What are your future ambitions for RPS exhibitions – especially the International Print?

We are looking at different ways of displaying prints and are aiming to increase the overseas circuit for showing the exhibitions. We want to further develop the International Images for Science Exhibition, which has been very successful since it was instigated in 2011 because of the stunning images.

It is an important aspect of photography which The Society aims to bring to a broader audience.

The Society is constantly looking at ways of developing RPS exhibitions to keep up with trends, whilst still maintaining the kudos that comes with its historical background.

Jordi Ruiz Cirera Documentary photographer www.jordiruizcirera.com Marc Aspland FRPS Chief sports photographer for The Times www.marcaspland.com Tim Rudman FRPS (Chairman) Fine art photographer www.timrudman.com ENTRY FEES FOR UP TO FOUR IMAGES: RPS member – £15 Non-member – £20 Under 30s – £10 PRIZES: Gold Award and £1000 U30s Gold Award and £1000 Silver Award and £500 Bronze Award and £250

π To find out more about entering, go to www.rps.org/157 or www.rpsinternational.org.

To make enquiries about the competition, email exhibitions@rps.org.

To find out more about the RPS, go to www.rps.org.

www.photography-news.co.uk

Camera preview

19

FIRST LOOK

Nikon D3300

SPECS PRICE £500 body only, £599 with Nikon 18-55mm VRII lens

Nikon’s latest DSLR might well be aimed at the relative newcomer to DSLR photography, but it is also well endowed with great features that photographers of any level can enjoy Words by Will Cheung In the hand, the D3300 feels lightweight but not at all flimsy and its compact dimensions mean it sits well in my average-sized hands. The only dial is clearly marked with the essential PASM modes, but there are plenty of scene and effect modes to explore too.

Toy Camera, Easy Panorama and Miniature Effect are filter modes that I enjoyed and they generally worked well – in JPEG only, of course.

Turn the camera on and the monitor comes to life with plenty of information. I thought the default info display was excellent – clear, information-packed and very useable. I really liked the way the three key camera settings – aperture, shutter speed and ISO – were shown prominently. Sometimes ISO can be confined to a bit part, but not here. By the way, the screen is not touch sensitive.

The menu set-up is very Nikon, which is fine if you’re familiar with the brand, but newcomers shouldn’t have a problem finding key items. There are also options for customising controls – the Fn, AEL/AFL and shutter buttons can be set up to handle different functions.

The optical viewfinder is bright and clear and the 11 AF points are clearly marked. There is the option to use just one AF point and move this around with the multi-way controller. If you prefer, you can leave the camera in Auto Area mode, or there’s 3D-tracking and Dynamic Area AF too.

AF is very responsive and even pretty good when the light levels drop – there’s an AF illuminator available, which you can turn off if you want to be more discrete.

Speaking of discretion, push the shutter button all the way down and you can enjoy the D3300’s quiet, low vibration shutter. There is a Q mode too (unusual in an entry-level DSLR), which has a noticeable but not massive impact on the shutter sound.

Having only shot a few frames for this first look, it’s fair to report that the D3300 seems to do everything as promised. Of course, where it really counts is in image quality. So far so good here, with high-quality straight-out-of-the-camera JPEGs with respectable high ISO performance too.

Obviously it’s very early on in my time with the D3300, but there is plenty here for me to enjoy and explore, so I’m looking forward to putting it properly through its paces.

CONTACT www.nikon.co.uk SENSOR 24.2 megapixels, with EXPEED 4 processor IMAGE DIMENSIONS 6000x4000pixels

BELOW The ability to shoot at ISO 12,800 is very welcome on an entry-level DSLR.

SHUTTER 30secs-1/4000sec, B and T modes, flash sync 1/200sec METERING PATTERNS Matrix, centreweighted, spot SHOOTING SPEEDS Up to 5fps LCD SCREEN 3in 921k dot, 100% frame coverage STORAGE MEDIA 1x SD card DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 124x98x75.5mm WEIGHT 460g (including battery and card)

Fujifilm X-T1

SPECS

Having made its mark in the professional, enthusiast and entrylevel markets with its innovative technology, Fujifilm is taking the X-series in a DSLR-inspired direction with the X-T1 Words by Ian Fyfe Just from looking at the X-T1, it’s obvious that it’s different from the rest of the X-series. The styling is still retro, but rather than the rangefinder style of the X-Pro1 and X-E2, it’s more like a film SLR, with a central pentaprism-style viewfinder and more substantial handgrip. The styling is an indication that Fujifilm thinks this camera has the speed and performance to match a DSLR. Having used it for a short time, I think they might be right.

Everything about the X-T1 speaks of quality, and once it’s in your hand, it feels sturdy, comfortable and classy. The handling is a dream – like the other top-end X-series cameras, exposure control is selected via the shutter speed dial and lens aperture ring – either or both can be set to auto, or you can take full control. But with space on the left shoulder, there’s also room for a drive mode selector and ISO dial, while a metering mode switch is slipped under the shutter speed dial. In the normal run of things, there’s no need to enter the menus at all.

The specs of the new viewfinder make for high expectations. The magnification of 0.77x is the www.photography-news.co.uk

highest in the world, beating all full-frame DSLRs, and a claimed lag time of 0.005 seconds makes it the fastest of its kind. It lives up to its billing – it’s truly huge and extremely clear, and while 0.005 seconds is difficult to measure, it really doesn’t seem to be off the pace of real time at all. You even have the option of eliminating the inevitable eye sensor delay by keeping the viewfinder on all the time – in this mode, the image is there whenever you lift it to your eye, just like using an optical viewfinder.

Focusing is often the downfall of mirrorless cameras, and Fujifilm has struggled in the past, but this seems to have been well and truly addressed.

I’m not sure whether the ‘world’s fastest AF’ claims hold up here, but I do know that in use it’s very speedy. And in choosing to focus manually, there’s the option of Fujifilm’s ingenious digital split image to get it spot on.

Inside is the same X-Trans II sensor and EXR II processor as the X-E2, so image quality was never in doubt and doesn’t disappoint. With the 18-55mm f/2.8-4 Fujinon lens, images I’ve taken are incredibly crisp with a lot of detail and strong colours. The only disappointment at this stage is no Raw compatibility with Adobe software, but this is just a matter of time.

ISO RANGE 100-12,800 (100-25,600 extended)

PRICE £1049 body only, £1399 with 18-55mm f/2.8-4 CONTACT www.fujifilm.co.uk SENSOR 16.3 megapixels with EXR II processor

BELOW The X-Trans II sensor delivers plenty of detail and strong colours in JPEG files.

IMAGE DIMENSIONS 4896x3264pixels ISO RANGE 200-6400 (100-51,200 extended) SHUTTER 30secs-1/4000sec, B and T modes, flash sync 1/180sec METERING PATTERNS Multi, average, spot SHOOTING SPEEDS Up to 8fps LCD SCREEN 3in 1040k dot, 100% frame coverage STORAGE MEDIA 1x SD card DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 129x89.8x46.7mm WEIGHT 440g (including battery and card)

Issue 5 | Photography News

20

Advertisement feature SONY A7 & A7R

Small cameras, big pictures The Sony A7 and A7R combine the amazing image quality of 35mm format sensors with a compact, lightweight and tough body. Professional landscape photographer Joe Cornish was quick to take advantage for his latest assignment The outdoors can be a challenging place for landscape photographers, and camera kit that weighs a lot can be an extra burden. Professional Joe Cornish works with a variety of camera systems, including medium-format, but for his latest project he’s chosen the Sony A7R, an altogether more portable option that still delivers image quality to match the best. He tells us how it’s helped him capture his amazing shots.

Joe, what kit are you shooting with at the moment and why?

I’m a multi-format photographer, using the gear that suits the assignment of the moment.

Currently, I’m using the Sony A7R with Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 35mm f/2.8 ZA and Sony Carl Zeiss Sonnar T* FE 55mm f/1.8 ZA prime lenses, as well as a number of Nikon lenses via a Metabones adaptor, to shoot a series of landscapes in Yorkshire, the Cairngorms and Iceland.

I imagine every walking, climbing or mountaineering photographer dreams of a super high-quality camera that is also really small and light. The Sony A7R may well be the first camera that truly fits that description.

How have you found the A7R so far?

First of all it’s truly diminutive. In size, it compares to a compact SLR of the film era, but is lighter and feels good in the hand. I’ve hand-held a number of shots, but am mainly using it on a tripod where I’ve been able to assess the lens and general image quality more analytically, using it like a micro-view camera.

Colour straight out of the box looks very good, but the most impressive characteristic of the sensor is the dynamic range. This approaches medium-format in its breadth, and gives abundant shadow and highlight recovery, and therefore

LEFT AND BOTTOM Pro landscaper Joe Cornish has been shooting with the diminutive A7R and 35mm lens and he describes the image quality as “unprecedented”.

BELOW AND RIGHT Truly portable, small and light, the awardwinning A7 and A7R produce top notch results.

enormous scope for interpretation of the files. To have this level of image quality in such a small and light camera is unprecedented. I already know from scrutinising the files close up that the print quality will be breathtaking.

The two new Sony Carl Zeiss prime lenses are amazing. They’re bitingly sharp at virtually every aperture. In fact, I can see myself taking off the post-production capture and output sharpening for print in some cases, because there’s such an abundance of fine detail in the focused zones.

The 55mm also offers convincing ‘drop focus’ effects; it’s fully useable wide open. It’s also easy to use lenses from my Nikon and other third-party systems via an adaptor when tripod-mounted.

Where are your favourite landscapes?

I love mountains the world over and I’m equally attracted to the coast. The moors, hills, dales and heathland of our home country are pretty hard to beat too. But if you were to pin me down: Scotland. It has wonderful coast and mountains, and a certain mournful, mysterious quality. I love Scotland’s Highlands and its many islands, and feel there will always be unfinished business for me there photographically-speaking, if only because the weather makes it so difficult. I’m heading to the Cairngorms later this month for the next stage of my work with the Sony A7R. π To find out more, go to www.sony.co.uk.

Most impressive is the dynamic range. This approaches medium-format in its breadth THE SONY A7 & A7R Featuring a 35mm full-frame CMOS sensor in a small and lightweight body, both the 24.3 megapixel Sony Alpha 7 and 36.4 megapixel Alpha 7R are truly portable cameras, allowing photographers to get the best image quality possible in a palm-sized camera body – far smaller and lighter than a bulky DSLR. Together with the powerful new BIONZ X processor and an improved XGA OLED Tru-Finder™ with wide field of view, these interchangeable lens cameras from Sony are packed with practical features, from the dust/moistureresistant magnesium alloy bodies to extensive custom controls to NFC and Wi-Fi – it is not difficult to see why these cameras are already multiple award winners.

Photography News | Issue 5

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Camera review

21

Full-frame mega test There are more full-frame options than ever before, but how do you choose between them? We get seven side by side to see how they compare Words by Ian Fyfe Choosing to go full-frame means a significant investment in your photography, so deciding on the system to commit to takes some thought. In the last two years, the choice of full-frame cameras has expanded dramatically and the price gap between fullframe and smaller format cameras has been bridged by more affordable models. So the benefits of the 35mm format sensor are now within reach of more enthusiasts.

It’s not just the prices that have shrunk either – gone are the days when fullframe was a pseudonym for bulky and cumbersome. Eighteen months ago, Nikon and Canon launched compact full-frame bodies similar in size to APS-C format DSLRs, the Nikon D600 and the Canon EOS 6D. At the end of 2013, Nikon replaced the D600 with the D610 and added its retro-styled Df, while Sony stirred things up with the introduction of the A7 and the A7R, the first ever mirrorless full-frame cameras. These added to the Nikon D800 and Canon EOS 5D Mark III, existing ‘prosumer’ models,

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meaning that anyone looking for a full-frame camera has more choice than ever before.

But why go full-frame in the first place?

Well, in a nutshell, bigger is better. In the same way that a medium-format sensor delivers better quality than a full-frame sensor, so a 24x36mm sensor outperforms an APS-C sensor. This is down to the bigger surface area, which allows for either more pixels or bigger pixels.

The benefits of having more pixels are obvious – higher resolution means more detail and bigger prints without software help. The advantage of bigger pixels is twofold. Firstly, bigger pixels can each collect more light, meaning a bigger difference between the darkest and lightest

tones it can record – the sensor has a larger dynamic range. The other benefit comes in low light, because bigger pixels create less digital noise relative to the amount of light they collect. This makes for less noise and a superior high ISO performance.

These benefits apply to any full-frame camera, but with such a big investment and with so many to choose from, deciding which to plump for can be difficult. What you really need is to get all the options in your hands and compare them side by side.

And that’s exactly what we’ve done. Read on to find out all you need to know about seven full-frame cameras and see how they perform in side-by-side tests of resolution and low-light performance.

In the same way that a medium-format sensor delivers better quality than a full-frame sensor, so a 24x36mm sensor outperforms an APS-C sensor Issue 5 | Photography News

22

Camera review Canon EOS 6D

Canon EOS 5D Mark III KEY SPECS

The EOS 6D is barely bigger than Canon’s latest APS-C format DSLRs, yet its image quality nearly equals that of the EOS 5D Mark III. The sensor isn’t the same, slightly behind at 20.2 megapixels, although this makes little difference to image size.

Despite the small body, handling of the EOS 6D is excellent. There’s a command dial on top and control wheel on the back, while a row of buttons by the top LCD puts all basic shooting functions within reach of your shutter finger.

Shooting controls on the back are all on the right too, making it easy to change settings with the camera in shooting hold or with the viewfinder to your eye.

The focusing system of the EOS 6D is relatively simplistic, with only 11 AF points

KEY SPECS

PRICE £1379 body only

PRICE £2329 body only

CONTACT www.canon.co.uk

CONTACT www.canon.co.uk

SENSOR 20.2 megapixels with DIGIC 5+

SENSOR 22.3 megapixels with DIGIC 5+

AUTOFOCUS 11 AF points

AUTOFOCUS 61 AF points

SHOOTING SPEEDS 4.5fps

SHOOTING SPEEDS 6fps

ISO RANGE 50-102,400 (extended)

ISO RANGE 50-102,400 (extended)

and no tracking modes – for comparison, the similarly-priced Nikon D610 has 39 AF points with 3D tracking. If fast-moving subjects are your passion, then it probably won’t do, but for landscapes, for example, it’s plenty.

The trade-off comes in the ISO sensitivity range, where it matches the EOS 5D Mark III with a maximum ISO 102,400, one stop down from the Nikon Df and D4. It’s also the only fullframe DSLR with in-built Wi-Fi and GPS. There’s just one SD card slot, so no extra capacity or backup. There’s also no PC flash sync socket. This won’t trouble you unless you want to use a cable to sync your flash units – without a pop-up flash that can be used as a remote commander, your only option is to buy a remote wireless trigger or an adaptor.

Nikon D610

The EOS 5D Mark III is Canon’s highest resolution camera available, but its 22.3 megapixels are fewer than the cheaper Nikon D610, and a long way short of Nikon’s ‘equivalent’ camera, the D800.

Its secret weapon is its focusing system, which is far more advanced than anything else in this class. It’s essentially the same as the system in the EOS-1D X, which is built for action, with 61 AF points and a plethora of setup options. This is backed up by a top shooting speed of six frames-per-second, as fast as you’ll get from a full-frame camera at this price.

Handling of the EOS 5D Mark III is excellent too. It’s big – similar in dimensions to the D800 but slightly lighter, and curvier. It’s much less portable than the EOS 6D, although one big

Nikon D800 KEY SPECS

The Nikon D610 is a tasty prospect for allround performance and value. Its price puts it in direct competition with Canon’s EOS 6D, but in many respects it’s more advanced. Its AF system eclipses Canon’s 11-point offering and provides 39 AF points with a variety of modes that make it much better suited to sports and action. Its top continuous shooting rate of six frames-per-second matches the EOS 5D Mark III’s, making it an excellent, more affordable alternative for any kind of action.

Handling is excellent on the whole. Some shooting settings, such as ISO and whitebalance are to the left of the LCD, which may not suit everyone but will be familiar to any Nikon user. The body is much more compact than the D800, and it’s 150g lighter, although Photography News | Issue 5

advantage of this is dual memory card slots, one for SD and one for CompactFlash.

On the back, there’s a control stick for navigation and selection, as well as a control wheel and top command dial. Most shooting settings are accessed by dual function buttons on the top and within reach of your shutter finger at all times. An M-Fn button between the shutter button and command dial is a quick way to change between AF options, although can also be assigned to other functions. The mode dial doesn’t turn continuously so you have to go back and forth between modes – a small thing, but a niggle. Some might have preferred the on/off button to be on the right as well, rather than as it is on the left shoulder under the mode dial.

KEY SPECS

PRICE £1499 body only

PRICE £2049 body only

CONTACT www.nikon.co.uk

CONTACT www.nikon.co.uk

SENSOR 24.3 megapixels with EXPEED 3

SENSOR 36.3 megapixels with EXPEED 3

AUTOFOCUS 39 AF points

AUTOFOCUS 51 AF points

SHOOTING SPEEDS 6fps

SHOOTING SPEEDS 4fps

ISO RANGE 50-25,600 (extended)

ISO RANGE 50-25,600 (extended)

if you’re after a more portable Nikon, the Df weighs less.

Unlike the Canon EOS 6D, the D610 provides dual SD card slots, and there’s a popup flash that can act as a wireless commander for off-camera Speedlights. The D610 doesn’t have in-built Wi-Fi, although with an adaptor this can be added. A viewfinder with a 100% field of view is another bonus.

If you’re looking to step up from an APS-C model, then the DX crop mode on the D610 is another advantage because it lets you use your existing APS-C lenses without vignetting, albeit with a drop in resolution to 10.3 megapixels.

In this mode, the AF points cover nearly the entire frame, and you get the extra focal length for sports or nature photography.

The Nikon D800 raised full-frame photography to a different level of resolution, and nearly two years after its launch, no other DSLR rivals this – only the mirrorless Sony A7R can match it.

But resolution isn’t all the D800 offers.

It has the same 51-point AF system as the flagship D4, including dynamic area and 3D tracking modes. It’s arguably not as advanced as the system in the Canon EOS 5D Mark III, but still more advanced than the rest of the field.

It struggles for pure speed: at full resolution it can manage just four frames-per-second. This is the lowest speed of all the full-frame DSLRs, purely down to the amount of information in each frame. There’s a workaround too – using the D800 in DX crop mode, the top speed increases to five frames-per-second or even

six with the battery grip. Resolution drops, but still holds up at 15.4 megapixels. If you want this speed, you’re probably shooting sport or similar anyway, where the extra focal length of the DX crop mode is of benefit too.

For any Nikon user, the controls will be instantly intuitive – there’s no mode dial, but instead direct access buttons on the left shoulder. The body is a lot chunkier than the D610 or Df, and at 1kg, it’s the heaviest full-frame model around except for the D4 and EOS-1D X. While the other Nikon full-frame cameras take SD cards, the D800 has one SD slot and one CompactFlash slot. With such big files (one uncompressed 14-bit Raw file measures around 76MB), the larger available capacities of CF cards could be useful. www.photography-news.co.uk

Camera review

23

Nikon Df

Sony A7 KEY SPECS

The Nikon Df’s retro design makes for a different handling experience. There are dedicated top dials for mode, shutter speed, exposure compensation and ISO sensitivity, and if your lens has one, you can use its aperture ring. The bias is still towards modern control though.

For example, the command dial can override the shutter speed dial and exposure can be adjusted in 1/3 or 1/2EV steps. On the back, the buttons, screen and layout are also almost identical to any other digital Nikon.

Nevertheless, the layout has advantages – you can see all settings with a glance at the top-plate, and the experience of clicking dials is very satisfying. The retro theme continues with your choice of lenses, since the Df takes most vintage Nikkor glass, including non-AI

PRICE £2749 with 50mm f/1.8

PRICE £1235 body only

CONTACT www.nikon.co.uk

CONTACT www.sony.co.uk

SENSOR 16.2 megapixels with EXPEED 3

SENSOR 24.3 megapixels with BIONZ X

AUTOFOCUS 39 AF points

AUTOFOCUS Fast Hybrid AF

SHOOTING SPEEDS 5.5fps

SHOOTING SPEEDS 2.5fps

ISO RANGE 50-204,800 (extended)

ISO RANGE 50-25,600

models – you can even use these with full aperture metering.

Nikon says the D4 sensor means flagship image quality, although the 16 megapixels puts it equal bottom in terms of resolution. The AF system is the same 39-point AF system as in the cheaper D610, while continuous shooting falls slightly short at 5.5 frames-per-second. The Df has a low-light advantage though, because its top ISO sensitivity of ISO 204,800 is one full stop more than the Canons’.

There’s no video recording on the Df, an omission that shows the camera is dedicated to stills photographers. Only one SD card slot limits the appeal, and another slight detraction is that the Df – in the UK only – is currently only sold as a kit with a 50mm f/1.8 G lens.

Sony A7R

PRICE £1689 body only CONTACT www.sony.co.uk SENSOR 36.4 megapixels with BIONZ X AUTOFOCUS Fast Intelligent AF SHOOTING SPEEDS 1.5fps ISO RANGE 50-25,600

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Sony recently introduced two mirrorless CSCs with full-frame sensors, the A7 and the A7R, promising the benefits of 35mm image quality with the size advantages of a mirrorless design.

Based on resolution alone, the A7 is the smaller of the Sony twins with 24 megapixels, although this matches the Nikon D610 and beats three of our full-frame DSLRs. It features a Fast Hybrid AF system with phase-detection; it doesn’t quite live up to the level of mirrored cameras, but for sensor-based focusing it’s speedy and reliable in good light. It struggles when light levels fall though.

The A7 has a top speed of five frames-persecond, although this drops to 2.5 frames-persecond with continuous focusing, slower than any of the full-frame DSLRs.

The electronic viewfinder is an excellent substitute for an optical version. Its 0.71x magnification rivals most full-frame DSLRs, with the advantage of an accurate preview. Its main drawback is the inevitable delay when it’s activated via the eye sensor.

A small and light body could have resulted in cramped controls, but Sony’s made good use of the space through customisation. There are ten programmable buttons, each with 46 possible functions, and a user-defined quick menu. It’s not all ideal though – the combined control wheel and directional pad can be accidentally pressed when you mean to turn it and vice versa, and responses aren’t always the quickest. For example, it takes two seconds for the camera to power up ready to shoot.

Lens matters KEY SPECS

With the A7R, you get the highest resolution 35mm sensor in the lightest body of any fullframe camera. With 36.4 megapixels, it’s on a par with the Nikon D800, and the A7R has no optical low-pass filter. But its mirrorless design also means it’s almost half the weight of the D800, and much smaller and lighter than any other full-frame DSLR. Externally, the A7R is just about identical to the A7. It’s lighter by a matter of grammes, but the layout of the controls is exactly the same, with equal customisation – three dedicated custom buttons and the option to reprogram seven of the preset buttons.

While the A7R has higher resolution than the A7, it has a slight disadvantage in other ways.

Perhaps the most significant is in focusing; the

KEY SPECS

A7R has no phase-detection hybrid system, but a Fast Intelligent AF system reliant only on contrast-detection. This means there’s more hunting than with the A7, so it’s just a fraction of a second slower. As with the A7, focusing is less reliable in low light. The A7R is also slower than the A7, and has top speeds of four framesper-second in speed-priority mode and just 1.5fps with continuous autofocus.

The shutter mechanism is also different in the A7R compared with the A7, and this makes it noisy. There are two loud clunks when an exposure is made, certainly not ideal if you’re trying to be discrete. This is a shame, because the size of the body makes it ideal for situations where you’d like to remain inconspicuous, but the shutter sound is sure to draw attention.

While the larger 35mm format sensor gives the benefit of better image quality over APS-C format sensors, if you’re considering making the step up to full-frame, there’s more to consider when it comes to lenses.

Firstly, not all lenses can be used with fullframe cameras. Some can only be used with APS-C format cameras because the image circle they create isn’t big enough to cover a 35mm sensor, hence the crop factor. Crop factors vary according to the sensor size – on Canon DSLRs it’s 1.6x, Nikon 1.5x. This means if you fit a 50mm lens on an APS-C Canon, it gives the same field of view as an 80mm lens used on a full-frame camera. It gives an apparent increase in focal length, as in the pictures shown on the right.

You might be able to use your existing lenses and just crop images (either manually or automatically in-camera), but this approach does limit you at the extreme wide-angle end.

Secondly, there is a benefit in the crop factor, specifically at the telephoto end. If all you shoot is sport and nature you might be better off sticking with the APS-C format. The smaller format’s apparent gain in focal length means a 300mm lens on an APS-C Canon gives you a focal length equivalent to 480mm in the 35mm format. The cost of buying an equivalent lens for full-frame could be prohibitive and it’ll be bigger.

Thirdly, speaking of size, full-frame lenses tend to be bigger and heavier than APS-C-only equivalents. The Sony A7/7R might have a

potential advantage here, as smaller lenses to suit the smaller bodies might be a real boon.

Finally, pictorially the larger full-frame format means shallow depth-of-field effects are generally easier to achieve. Typically, use f/4 on a full-frame DSLR and you would need f/2.8 on APS-C for the same look.

85MM, APS-C

85MM, FULL FRAME

You might be able to use your existing lenses and crop images, but this approach does limit you at the extreme wide-angle end until you invest in a new lens Issue 5 | Photography News

24

Camera review ISO performance

CANON EOS 6D

CANON EOS 5D MARK III

NIKON D610

ISO 200

ISO 200

ISO 200

ISO 1600

ISO 1600

ISO 1600

ISO 6400

ISO 6400

ISO 6400

ISO 25,600

ISO 25,600

ISO 25,600

NIKON D800

NIKON DF

SONY A7

SONY A7R

ISO 200

ISO 200

ISO 200

ISO 200

ISO 1600

ISO 1600

ISO 1600

ISO 1600

ISO 6400

ISO 6400

ISO 6400

ISO 6400

ISO 25,600

ISO 25,600

ISO 25,600

ISO 25,600

We tested our cameras in low light to see how noise impacts on image quality as ISO sensitivity is increased. Lighting remained constant throughout the test and images were converted from Raw files in Adobe Lightroom 5.3, with all luminance and colour noise reduction turned off.

It’s safe to dial the ISO sensitivity up to 1600 on any of these cameras, and differences in performance become clear between ISO 3200 and 25,600. Noise degrades image quality in the two Sony cameras much more rapidly, and by their top setting of 25,600, they compare poorly. Images from the Nikon Df are slightly cleaner than the rest, although not by huge margins – the advantage is less than 1EV. Four of the seven cameras top out at ISO 25,600, with the two Canons and the Nikon Df going up further. But these super-high extended sensitivities don’t give you a huge advantage, because image quality makes them all but unuseable.

Photography News | Issue 5

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Camera review Resolution

25

CANON EOS 6D

CANON EOS 5D MARK III

NIKON D610

RAW

RAW

RAW

JPEG

JPEG

JPEG

NIKON D800

NIKON DF

SONY A7

SONY A7R

RAW

RAW

RAW

RAW

JPEG

JPEG

JPEG

JPEG

We took side-by-side shots with all seven cameras to compare resolution. Lenses differed between manufacturers, but were matched as closely as possible. Each was set to 50mm at f/8, and cameras were on tripods, released with the self-timer. Raw images were processed in Lightroom with default sharpening and compared on-screen, viewed at equal sizes. JPEGs shown are straight out of the camera.

Differences were generally small and required close scrutiny to spot. The Nikon Df had a definite disadvantage with detail, and magnifying everything to the size of the D800 and A7R images made it easy to pick out those two as the best, although they’re not a million miles ahead of the 24-megapixel images – big prints will make the differences clearer. As a rule, JPEGs were good quality, although mostly harsher and more contrasty than Raw files. This often came with some blockiness in the fine details, particularly with the Sony cameras. The Nikon D610 was the exception, with JPEGs much like the Raws.

The verdict If you’re committed to one manufacturer’s system, the only comparisons of interest are between cameras of the same brand.

With the two Canons, the differences boil down to what you take pictures of. If advanced focusing and speed are important, the EOS 5D Mark III easily beats its little brother, but the EOS 6D matches it for image quality and low-light performance, and it’s much smaller and more travel-friendly.

If your loyalty lies with Nikon, the choice is bigger. It was obvious in our test that there’s quite a compromise in resolution with the Df’s 16-megapixel sensor, and the D800 has a huge amount more resolution for a smaller price. The D610 also has the edge over the Df in most areas and is much cheaper, although the low-light performance of the Df edges www.photography-news.co.uk

out everything else. The D800 proved itself king of resolution, and its focusing system and speed in DX crop mode give it more than just pixel power.

There’s not much to choose between the two Sonys – it’s all about whether you want the extra resolution of the A7R, but for this you sacrifice the phase-detection AF and extra speed of the A7 – it’s more expensive too. Brand loyalty is perhaps not so important though, because thinner bodies let you fit non-Sony lenses via an adaptor while retaining infinity focus.

With no allegiances, you have the pick of the bunch. By and large, you get what you pay for, although the Nikon Df doesn’t fit this – it’s priced above its specification. If you’ve the budget for a top spec model, it’s a straight choice between the D800’s resolution and the focusing and ISO performance of the EOS 5D Mark III. If small is what you’re after,

the Sonys offer image quality in compact bodies, while the lightest DSLR, the Canon EOS 6D, rivals its bigger brother in quality.

If there’s one that stands out for all-round performance and value, it’s the Nikon D610 – the balance of resolution, ISO performance, focusing, speed, handling and size makes it a versatile buy at a good price. But side-by-side tests of our magnificent seven failed to expose any dramatic disparities in performance, so with any of these cameras, you know you’ll be photographically well endowed.

With no allegiances, you have the pick of the bunch – by and large, you get what you pay for

π For more on these full-frame cameras, see Issue 41 of Advanced Photographer, on sale now for £4.95.

Issue 5 | Photography News

26

Flash system review ON TEST

Profoto B1

There’s more interest than ever in using flash off the camera. The Profoto B1 is the first flash system that combines the power and quality of studio lighting with the convenience and flexibility of full TTL flash control – we try it out Words by Will Cheung

SPECS PRICE £1554 for B1 500 head, battery, 2.8A battery charger, padded case AIR REMOTE TTL-C (for Canon) £312 LI-ION BATTERY £203 B1 CAR CHARGER £79 4.5A CHARGER £155 CONTACT www.profoto.com FLASH DURATION 1/19,000sec at minimum power to 1/1000sec at full RECYCLING TIME 2secs at full power, 0.1 at minimum. 20 flashes per second, continuous shooting possible POWER RANGE 9 f/stops in 1/10sec increments, 2 to 500W/s BATTERY Rechargeable lithiumion – two hours full recharge, tested to be 90mins BATTERY CAPACITY 220 full-power flashes (claimed), 236 (tested) RANGE Up to 300m with Profoto Air transmitters MODELLING LAMP LED, 90 minutes from full charge, tested at 99mins. 3000K COMPATIBILITY Canon E-TTL II – Nikon TTL due autumn 2014 OTHER SYNC OPTIONS Optical and 3.5mm mini-phone socket DIMENSIONS (WXHXD) 31x14x21cm WEIGHT 3kg (head and battery)

Photography News | Issue 5

Pick up a B1 and the first thing that impresses is build. The head has a heft that inspires confidence and the integral stand mount is positive and very secure once locked. The flash tube is under a piece of diffuser glass so protection level is high. Power is supplied by a battery pack – there is no mains option – and this allows a claimed 220 full power flashes. In our test we got a very impressive 236 full power flashes before the battery failed.

The basic kit sells at £1554 and comes with one B1 head, case and a battery charger, the 2.8A version, and that takes two hours to give a full charge from flat. For faster recycling a 4.5A charger is available at £155. A car charger at £79 is an optional accessory too.

The control layout on the back of the unit is commendably simple and it doesn’t take very long at all to get to grips with it. See the Tour of the controls (right). The controllable range is a massive 9EV in 1/10 stop steps so there’s the flexibility for shooting at wide lens apertures without having to move the flash further away from the subject.

Flash output and flash duration are directly related. At full power, flash duration is 1/1000sec, but if you want to tackle something like action, the B1 in minimum power and freeze mode gives a flash duration of 1/19,000sec – around 1/11,000sec in normal mode.

To test power output we used a Gossen Digipro F flash meter with readings taken without any extra modifier on the flash unit to give us an idea of the unit’s ultimate power output. Full power at two metres gives an aperture of f/20 (ISO 100) and this dropped to f/1.7 at the minimum output. At one metre I was getting f/40 at full power and f/2.5 at minimum. Put simply, there’s plenty of power when you need depth-of-field and the option of going very low for wide aperture shooting is available too.

For the TTL element of this review I used the Canon EOS 5D Mark III. The Profoto website lists compatible Canon cameras – all those with E-TTL II capability work. We also tried the B1 as a manual flash set-up mostly with a PocketWizard Mini/Flex set.

Using the B1 kit in TTL mode is really as simple as slipping the Air Remote TTL-C into the hotshoe. Turn it on, set TTL and make sure the group and channel settings match the flash unit’s and away you go.

When I was using two heads, I had my key light in A and the fill-in on B channels so that I could adjust the outputs independently. Shoot a test frame, make changes to the power settings if necessary and then

IMAGE An Octa to the right was the main light, with a stripbox on the left aimed at the background.

The B1’s power control range meant I could shoot f/22 one instant but go to f/1.8 the next www.photography-news.co.uk

Flash system review

27 LEFT The main light was a B1 with an Octa while a stripbox threw light on the background.

you can concentrate on the subject, leaving the camera to fire a preflash and determine the flash exposure for you.

TTL flash can work really well but it often needs fine-tuning as the camera position changes or as the model moves around. Thankfully the Air Remote TTL-C does make tweaking really easy.

I shot model Amber Tutton outdoors and indoors with the B1/EOS 5D Mark III combination and was delighted with what I was getting. Whenever I changed a set-up, I did a test exposure or two, finetuned the light and then carried on.

Outdoors, I mostly shot with the Canon 85mm f/1.8 but also fitted the Tamron 150-600mm and retreated 25-30m from Amber, leaving the two B1s right next to her for soft light. Being able to adjust settings from afar was a big benefit.

Indoors, the B1 let me enjoy shooting wide open on the Canon 85mm f/1.8. I like the effect of shallow depth-of-field but with many mains flash units you

either have to use an ND filter on the lens or move the light further away which means you lose the soft wraparound light of a softbox right next to the model. The B1’s power control range meant I could shoot f/22 one instant but go to f/1.8 the next without having to physically move the light unit. I loved that freedom.

PROFOTO B1 FEATURES

25/25

HANDLING

25/25

TTL, manual flash, lots of power, a modelling lamp, control panel Delightfully easy to use

PERFORMANCE 25/25

The verdict Using the B1 has been a great experience. Whether shooting TTL or manual, set-up and fine-tuning the lighting were really easy. The exposure in TTL mode is, of course, handled by the camera, and here the B1/Canon combination worked really well. If there’s any downside it’s the price. In terms of features it’s great value, but a two-head system with modifiers, spare batteries and so on is quite a commitment. A one-head kit with the TTL-C remote is over £1800 but it’s also the case that the B1 is a unique piece of kit that works really well and is built to last.

Performed well in all situations

VALUE

21/25

Terrific for what you get – still a serious outlay for an enthusiast

OVERALL 96/100 The B1 is a brilliant piece of kit.

PROS Build, easy to use, TTL control, fast recycling, brief flash duration CONS Price, but you do get a lot for your money

Tour of the controls The LCD info panel shows output settings on a scale from two to ten (full power) in 1/10 stop increments, plus there is a battery charge indicator.

The TEST button fires the flash and doubles as the on/off switch – just hold it down for a second or so to turn it on or off.

The big central dial controls power output. Hold this down and push TEST and you enter FREEZE mode, which gives a shorter duration than normal.

Push MODEL and the LED modelling lamp comes on to help you focus. Hold the button down and you get options: PROP which is proportional output to match the flash output setting; FREE for 100% output – at this setting the lamp lasts 90 minutes from a full charge should you want to use it for video. A cooling fan comes on when the modelling lamp is on but this is really quiet so shouldn’t pick up during video recording. Its output is 3000K. The SYNC button gives the options of AIR for use with Profoto’s remotes, and SLAVE for triggering from the light of another flash and any mode worked with a PocketWizard (Plus III or Flex) plugged into the unit’s sync socket. This button, in conjunction with the main dial, lets you pick which group you want the head to belong to – the options are A to F. Push down the main control while the group option is flashing and you’ve the option of setting one of eight channels.

The READY button turns on/off the audible fully charged warning and there’s also DIM. With DIM on, the modelling lamp stays off until the flash is fully recharged. With BEEP and DIM active, you get audible and visual fully charged warnings – or you can turn both off.

Several key features can be adjusted remotely with the Profoto Air Remotes. On the TTL-C, you can switch from TTL to manual as well as adjust output, channel and whether you want first or second curtain flash sync.

BELOW The LCD panel and the remote.

Calling all clubs The Profoto B1 is aimed at a range of photographers from the keen enthusiast to the professional.

For a future edition of Photography News, we’d like to bring a Profoto B1 set to one of your club’s practical portrait sessions to show what they offer the keen photographer. We’ll come along with two heads, remote triggers, including the Air Remote TTL-C for TTL flash shooting with Canon EOS DSLRs, and a selection of modifiers so members can have a good play. In return we’ll take a few pictures of members in action and get quotes about what they think, negative or positive, about the B1 system.

π For the full review of the Profoto B1, see Advanced Photographer, issue 41 www.photography-news.co.uk

If your club would like to be considered for this unique opportunity please email willcheung@bright-publishing.com in the first instance with some suggested dates if you have a forthcoming practical session coming up. The closing date for applications is 3 March 2014.

Issue 5 | Photography News

28

Technique PHOTO SCHOOL

Camera class

Everyone has to start somewhere, even top pros, and in our regular Photo School feature we’ll be taking a close look at core techniques that every beginner needs to know. This month, in Camera Class we look at how you can use shutter speed creatively, while Software skills (opposite) looks more at enhancing your images in Adobe Lightroom shutter speed as slow as 1/60sec or even 1/30sec.

You still need to be careful though, because these systems don’t guarantee a sharp image every time.

Words by Ian Fyfe Last time we looked at what the shutter speed means and how it affects your exposure, but choosing your shutter speed isn’t just about how much light you want to reach the sensor. The slower the shutter speed, the more chance there is that movement will be recorded as blurring in the image. If you want your images to be sharp, you need a shutter speed fast enough to eliminate this movement. But on other occasions, you might want to use a slow shutter speed for creative reasons. n What speed should I use for sharp images?

If you’re shooting handheld, the rule of thumb for ensuring that camera movement doesn’t blur your images is to match the shutter speed to the focal length you’re using. For example, if you’re using a lens at 250mm, you want a shutter speed of 1/250sec or faster. If your lens or camera has an image stabilisation mechanism, then this often lets you get away with slower shutter speeds – for example, at 250mm, you might be able to use a 1/320SEC

Photography News | Issue 5

1/80SEC

n What if my subject is moving?

In this case, the exact shutter speed you need to freeze movement depends on how fast your subject is moving. For a person walking, a shutter speed of about 1/250sec should be enough, whereas for sports and wildlife, you might need a shutter speed of at least 1/1000sec. Very fast subjects such as racing cars or planes may require the fastest shutter speeds of 1/4000sec or 1/8000sec.

Using a very fast shutter speed reduces the amount of light reaching the sensor, so for a good exposure you might need to either open the aperture wider or increase the ISO sensitivity. n When would I want to use a slow shutter speed?

There may be times when you don’t want to freeze movement but instead leave the shutter open for a long time to introduce motion blur for creative effects. This can add a sense of movement to an action scene or let you get creative with light 1/20SEC

1/6SEC

painting or waterfalls, for example. Again, the exact shutter speed you need depends on the effect you want to create and how much movement there is.

Most cameras let you set shutter speeds of up to 30 seconds, but you can go beyond this too – in Bulb mode, the shutter stays open for as long as the shutter release is held down. For long shutter speeds, it’s important to mount the camera on a sturdy tripod so the only movement is of the subject, not the camera. n How can I achieve long exposures without overexposing?

If you’re using a very long exposure, you might find you can’t close the aperture enough to avoid overexposure, or indeed you might want to keep the aperture wide open for a shallower depth-of-field. In either case, you can use a neutral density filter in front of the lens to block some light. Different filter densities are available. The densest is a ten-stop filter, which hugely increases exposure times – for example, it turns a shutter speed of one second into more than 17 minutes. These filters are popular for blurring the movement of water.

1SEC

NEXT MONTH: How to use ISO to control exposures

2.5SECS

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Technique

29

ADOBE LIGHTROOM

Software skills

LEFT The Basic tab is where key aspects, like whitebalance, of an image are adjusted using sliders.

Making your images better. Part 5: More on the Basic tab and how improving your images is quick and easy Words by Will Cheung We introduced you to the Basic tab in Lightroom’s Develop module last month and now here’s some advice on how to use it.

Before we get to changing the image, visit Lens Corrections towards the bottom of the list.

Here the software can automatically correct some of your lens’s optical shortcomings. In Lens Corrections>Basic, tick Enable Profile Corrections and Remove Chromatic Aberrations. Now click on Profile. Lightroom might have automatically detected the lens used and then made its corrections. If it hasn’t, click on Lens Profile Make and select the lens’s brand, next click on Model and choose the correct lens. If a profile is available it will show next to Profile. Not every lens brand or model is available but more will be added in time.

Now go back to the main Basic menu. Working down the menu, white-balance is the first parameter we come to which is handy because our image is very orange having been shot under tungsten lamps with the camera set to auto white-balance.

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Click on the As Shot drop-down menu opposite WB (white-balance) to reveal a number of whitebalance presets – here we picked Tungsten (the same as incandescent).

Next is Tone. Here you can click on Auto and let the software do the work, but you won’t learn much. So instead work through the sliders. This image’s exposure is good, but moving the Exposure slider very slightly to the right improves it – even at +0.10 (equivalent to 1/10th of an f/stop), it looks better. Image contrast is good too but moving the Contrast slider to +6 improves the blacks. The next two sliders, Highlights and Shadows, are very, very useful. If an image’s highlights lack detail and look burnt out, moving the slider to the left will help. If the shadows look too intense and blocked up, moving the Shadows slider to the right will lighten them.

How much of each slider you’ll need varies – and of course, the sliders can be used in conjunction with each other to get the best result. For example, you might use Exposure to darken an image and then Shadows to reveal shadow detail.

The Whites and Blacks sliders are less frequently used but if you want more light tones, move Whites

BELOW Shooting Raw means you can change whitebalance in software.

to the right, or for more intense shadows, move Blacks to the left.

Finally to the Presence options. If you want richer and more vibrant colours, the Vibrance and Saturation sliders are your tools here, but the most useful of the three Presence sliders has to be Clarity.

Moving this to the right increases contrast in midtone areas of your photograph, giving more ‘punch’.

It’s extremely useful.

NEXT MONTH: Essential advice for a smooth workflow in Lightroom

Issue 5 | Photography News

30

Advertisement feature

Alex Styles

COMPETITION

Take the Creativity portrait challenge Your 4 best people shots could win you 4 beautiful backgrounds Win 4 rolls from Creativity Backgrounds Seamless and wrinkle resistant, backdrops from Creativity Backgrounds are bound to enhance your portraits. And as they come in two sizes (2.72 or 1.35m wide and 11m long), you’ll have plenty of room for solo shots and group people photos.

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HOW TO ENTER: Post your 4 best studio portrait images on Creativity Backgrounds’ Facebook page. You can post up to 4 images by 30 April. π To find out more about Creativity Backgrounds, go to www.creativity backgrounds.co.uk, email sales@creativity backgrounds.co.uk or phone 01384 485550.

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SPECIAL COMPETITION OFFER

CLOSING DATE IS 30 APRIL 2014 – after which the judges will review the entries and Photography News will publish the winner’s details in a future issue.

Terms & Conditions n Only open to residents of the UK. Any entrants under 18 years old must have permission to enter from a parent or guardian. The winner will be notified by email and the result may be published in a future issue of Photography News. Only one entry (up to four images) is allowed per reader. No purchase is necessary. n Creativity Backgrounds may use submitted images in print and online advertising, not solely related to this competition, and will contact entrants to agree this beforehand. n Employees of Creativity Backgrounds and Bright and their immediate family and friends cannot enter. Entries must be received by midnight on 30 April 2014. Entries not in accordance with the rules will be disqualified: by entering the competition, competitors will be deemed to have agreed to be bound by the rules. The prize must be taken as offered with no alternative. In the event that the prize cannot be supplied, no liability will attach to Bright.

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Issue 5 | Photography News

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Prize wordsearch

Win a Samsung camera Of the 20 words below, only 19 appear in the grid.

Simply complete the puzzle, find the missing word and email puzzle@photography-news.co.uk with that word in the subject line, and your name will go into the prize draw. The winner will be picked at random from correct entries received before the closing date of 16 March 2014.

Win a Samsung EX2F! The prize is a Samsung EX2F, a 12.4-megapixel compact camera complete with a Schneider-KREUZNACH 5.2-17.2mm f/1.4 lens.

Features include a full range of exposure modes, autofocus and advanced light metering methods. π To find out more, go to www.samsung.com.

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